How Can I Get Rid of My Neck Pain?

In the age of smartphones and computers, there is a growing problem with neck issues.  Everyday we are staring at computer screens that are not positioned properly for our eyes.  We also tend to keep our heads down when we are looking at our phones, whether we are standing, sitting, or lying down.  When you are in a poor posture position for 8+ hours a day, you are going to develop a muscle imbalance.  The muscle imbalance is what causes the pain. For the neck, the pain comes from having a forward head and round shoulders.  To correct this posture, you have to do several things: strengthen the upper middle back, stretch the chest, stretch the neck, and be cognizant of how you are holding your body throughout the day.

How to be in proper posture

Sitting Posture can be easy to assess. Take a look at the height of your chair versus your desk.  You want a nice straight back with legs in a 90 degree angle and feet flat on the floor. Also, pay attention to how you are sitting; too far back or too far forward.  You want to have a nice straight back with your shoulders in a neutral position.  If you are having trouble adjusting your chair height or are unable to get your back in a comfortable position, then you might have to get a new chair or use a physio/stability ball.  The benefit of a ball over a chair is that you have to use your core to maintain your posture, which helps to strengthen your body during the day.

Computer Screen Position can be hard to figure out, but your job might have an ergonomic specialist on staff.  Their job is to just assess your body position at your workstation and get you the tools you need to make your station more ergonomic.  Some jobs offer this because it prevents you from going on on injury from bad posture.  If your job does not have this as an option, then you can follow some simple tips to correct your posture at your computer.  Some simple things you can do include: make sure your computer screen is at eye level, the screen is about arms length away from you.

Smartphone Position is a little more challenging.  Unless you have a device that can help hold your phone for you, you just need to be aware of where your phone is relative to your head and neck.  The best advice I could find was to make sure to keep your phone at chest height and be aware of your neck position so you keep a neutral spine.

What muscles become imbalanced

When correcting muscle imbalances you should approach it in two different ways by focusing on the gross (big) muscle groups and the stabilization muscle groups.  The most common muscle imbalances that happen with poor posture are rounded back (kyphosis) and shoulders.  This results in over-lengthened rhomboids (upper middle back muscles between the shoulder blades) and tight pectoralis muscles (chest) and/or upper traps.  The nerves in the body are unable to tell the difference between over-lengthened and tight because when the muscles are stretched, they feel tight.  Because of this, it is usually easier to have a movement assessment if you are unsure if you are over tight or over-lengthened.

Stabilization muscles in the case of the neck are the rotator cuff muscles.  They help support the humerus in the glenohumeral joint. The strength of the shoulder girdle and muscle symmetry around the shoulder helps alleviate stress on the neck. It also encouraged your body to use your muscles correctly, reducing your chance for injury.

So, what exactly are the neck muscles you should be focusing on? They include the sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and levator scapula. When having neck issues, these tend to be the usual suspects. Typically when people are tight in the neck area it is because they are using their shoulder and neck muscles to move heavy objects. It is usually called shrugging out.

Back Muscles that play a role in shoulder stability are the latissimus dorsi and rhomboid muscles.  These are two of the main gross, big, muscle groups that can affect muscle symmetry in the neck. These muscles are general weak due to being over lengthened from poor posture. Think of Quasimodo as an extreme example. With his rounded back and tight chest, his back muscles are completely overstretched.

The chest muscles: pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and the serratus anterior are the muscles that can cause issues in posture. These muscles tend to be very tight for several different reasons. One way is the muscles get over worked. Think of a guy that only does chest day or more chest exercises than anything else. Pectoralis minor tends to be the tightest muscle in the chest group because of rounded shoulders from being at desk or from exercises like the pec fly.

Exercises to Correct the Imbalances

Cobras

Serratus Anterior Punches

Scapular Retraction

Internal and External Rotation

Stretches to Correct the Imbalances

Chin tucks

Pectoralis (chest) Stretch

Latissimus Dorsi (Lat) Stretch

Sternocleidomastoid

Foam Rolls to help Correct Imbalance

Pec

Lats

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Tennis ball for Uppertraps